Box or carton



Nqv. 10, 1925- H. F. SCHURMANN 801 OR CARTON Filed Dec. 6. 1922 3mm? 1'. scm'rmmr, or wmmnrrn, ILLINOIS, nssrenon T 1,561,361 OFFICE;

w. A. scnunmmw &

PATENT $0.; OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

Application iuea December a, 1922. andra. 405,146: v

, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Boxes or Cartons, of which the ollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to boxes or cartons in general, but more particularly to those for eggs, such as those in which a dozen eggs carried by a'filler are delivered to a customer. These boxes or cartons are made from a paper blank, ordinarily, and are so constructed that they will fold flat, thus-perinittingthe .manufacturer to stack the car,- tons flatwise together, and to thus economize in the cost of shipment.

Generally stated, he ob'ect of the invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement, and an improved method of folding the carton, whereby certain beneficial results are obtained.

It is also an' object to provide certain details and features of construction tending to increase the general eiiiciency and desira= bility of a carton vof 'this. particular cons'truction.

To the foregoing and other useful ends the invention consists in matters hereinafter .set forth and-claimed and shown in the ac companying drawings, in whichnew method of folding the carton into a flat condition.

Figure 3 shows the cartonfolded flat.

Figure his an enlarged detail section on line 1-4 in Figure 3. v

Figure 5 is a plan view, on a smaller scale,

' of one of the blanks from which the carton is made, showing a portion of the cover section broken away for convenience of illustration, as is also true in said Figure 3 0f the drawings. p 1

Y As thus illustratedythe invention comprises a blank as shown in-Figure 5 having a rectan lar bottom section 1, rectangular side sections 2 and 3, rectan lar end sections 1 and flaps 5 and 6 flexibly connected to the ends of said side sections. It will be understood that the rectangular bottom and have oblique crease lines 14 as shown.

sidev and end sections are flexibly connected together. by the crease lines 7 8 and 9, and that the flaps 5 and 6 are flexibly connected by the crease lines 10 and 11 with their respective slde walls. The lines 12 and 13 are cut clear through, so that the blank may foldin the desired manner. The fla s 5 the front side wall 3 of the carton has crease lines 15 as shown. In addition, a rectanlar cover section 16 is provided and flexibly connected by the crease line 17 to the rear side section 2 previously mentioned F1nally,.a c'over flap 18 is flexibly connected by the crease line 19 to the rectangular cover section, said flap 18 having curved end edges 20 as shown, so that this flap will enter the "top of the box easily and gradually exert wedging pressure against the end walls of the carton.

In making the carton, the blank thus constructed is folded up in thelmanner shown in Figure 1, so that the flap 6 overlaps the flap 5, at each end of the box, and a staple 21 is then inserted through the overlapping other fastening means may be employed if desired. When,thus folded theflap 18 of the cover may be brought down to enter the interior of the box,.and the cover section 16 will lie flat over the eggs and the egg filler (not? shown) in the usual and well known manner. But the width of the flap 18, which is just a little less than the depth of the box, and its gradually curved edges at the ends thereof, will ensure not only proper entrance of the flap into thebox, but alsotends to ensure against pulling out after the box is closed;

Now for shipping purposes the cartons are knocked down or folded flat as shown in Figure '3, and this is done in the manner illustrated in Figure 2, from which it will be seen that the end walls4 arefiot creased, but folded perfectly flat against the bottom of the box, with the exception of the section of each end wall which is folded between the flap 6 and the triangular sections 22 of the 1 front wall 3 of the box. The balance of eachend. wall et'rests directly against the bottom wall of the box, and the outer surfaces of the flaps 6, while the exposed outer surfacesofthe end walls 4 receive the inner lso.

surface of the back wall 2 directly thereon. I

and more or less rigid and hold the ends of the box in proper form or condition, much better than would be the case with the end walls 4 creased (so that they would fold along the lines 14) and in addition the uncreased end walls permit the box to be fold ,ed flatter and they tend to remain flat.

When the box is opened up, the uncreased end walls 4 act as braces 'to resist the inclination of the boxto collapse or fold back into flat (ODdltlOll'.

Thus it will be seen that the rectangular uncreased end walls 4 serve as stiff braces between the front and rear Walls 3 and 2, or between the front and bac1 ,o-the box, when the box is open or unfolded. In other words, if these "walls 4 are creased they do not'form stifi braces between the front and back Walls,.and cannot serve as such, and they cannot perform this function unless they reach from the front wall tothe back wall of the box, in the manner shown. Furthermore, the flap 18 forms a stiff brace between the end walls of the box, to keep the creased front wall 3 straight, when the box is closed. With the box creased as shown, for folding purposes, it has a tendency to assume its folded or fiat condition, when unfolded, but the walls 4 and the flap 18 each serve as a stifi' brace to resist this inclinationof the box to collapse or fold into a flat condition after being unfolded, and after being filled and closed.

The uncreased end walls 4 serve, therefore,

asstift' braces or spacing members to space the frontand rear walls of the box apart and hold them upright when the box is open.

Thus the box will stand alone, in opencondition, before the egg filler or other contents of the box is inserted, notwithstanding the creases 14an'd' 15 which permit the box to collapse and'to be folded flatwise for certain purposes. Thus the box is a. rigid rectangular structure whenv open, before the filler or other contents is inserted, and in addition the box is a better protection for the things placed therein.

With the creases 15 in the front wall, the inclination of this 'wall,- when the box is open, is -to spring inward,.thus throwing the triangular sections'12 into position to hold the" adjacent edges of the uncreased inner end walls 4 in position, so that these end walls 4 can then serve their function of forming stifl braces between the front and back walls. and whereby when the box is open, the end walls do not springinward, inasmuch as the uncreased walls 4are held in their vertical positions by the pressure of their edges on the triangular sections 22 of the front wall. Also, the edges 20 engage condition shown in .Fig.

the uncreased sections 4, so that when the box is closed, the uncreased sections 4 and the flap 18 co-operate to render the box stiff and rigid.

Thus it will be seen that the triangular portions 22 function, when the box is in the 1, before it is filled, to hold the uncreased rectangular end walls 4 in position to brace the. box and keep it open to receive the egg filler or other means to be'placed in the box. The creased side wall 3, of course, tends to spring inwardly, and hence the triangular sections 22 tend to keep the uncreased end walls 4 in upright position, or at least against the flaps 6, so that the box cannot collapse before it is filled. Of course, after the box is filled, and after the cover is closed, the wedging action of the flap 18 and its edges '20 against the end walls 4 serve to hold the latter upright, and serve to hold the front wall 3 and its triangular sections 22 against collapsing inwardly, in the manner explained. In the engagement of the uncreased rectangular end walls 4 with the back wall 2, and in the engagement of the triangular portions 22 withthe front edges of the front wall 3, there is co-operatlng action serving'to prevent the box from collapsing after it is opened, and 'before it is filled, and .such action co-operates with the cover and the flap 18 after the box is filled, thereby to brace the box and hold it in shape after the contents are enclosed therein. Preferably, as shown, the flaps 6 overlap the flaps 5, :so that a singlestaple is suflicient at each end of the box, and the flaps 5 are creased at 14 to fold over the uncreased flaps 63, substantially in the manner shown and described, wherebv each end wall construction has only the single crease 14, the

upper corner of each flap6 being cut ofll as shown to permit the.folding of the flaps 5 along their crease lines 14, as shown'in Figs. 2 and 4, when'the box is collapsed and flattened out for shipment or storage or transportation.

Thus it will be seen that only the rear edges of the uncreased end walls 4 have sliding engagement with the rear of the box, when thecarton is folded or unfolded. The front edges of the rectangular uncreased sections 4 have no sliding engagement with the inner surface of the box, inasmuch as the rectangular sections 22 hold these front edges always in engagement with the fold lines 11 of the flaps 6 of the blank from which the cartonis made. Hence, when the carton is unfolded, the 'endwise expansion of the front wall 3, so to speak. or the un folding of this wall, serves forcibly to propel the end walls'4 away from each other, whereby this straightening of the front wall 3 constitutes the means for forcibly causing the rear edges of the end walls 4 to slide upon the inner surface of the back wall 2,

when the carton is unfolded. Of course, this sliding action of the rear edges of the walls 4 on the back wall 2, when the carton is unfolded, can be brought about by forcibly pulling outwardly on the walls t and 4, as by placing a thumb inside of each end wall, but in any event the endwise expansion of the wall 3, or its unfolding motion, is productive of 01' accompanied by the forcible sliding of the rear edges of the wall 4 on the inner surface of the wall 2 of the carton.

Thus when the box is open the rear'edges of the walls 4 engage the fold lines 10, or engage in the corners formed by these fold lines, while the front edges of the walls 4 engage in the corners formed by the fold lines 11 at the front 'of the box. However, when the box is folded flat, the front edges of the walls 4 remain in engagement with the fold lines 11,- but'the rear ed es of the walls 4 then engage the fold line between the back 2 and the bottom 1 of the box. Thus the front edges of the walls 4 are alwags in engagement with the fold lines 11, an when the box is opened this tends to keep the rear edges of the wall 4 in engage-- ment with the fold lines 10, in the manner shown and described. a

What I claim as my invention is- A collapsible'box or carton formed from an integral folded blank and comprising bottom, front and back walls, rectangular end sections on said bottom extending thefull width thereof, said sections being uncreased, the said end sections thereby retain-- ing a relatively rigid character to brace the end structure of the box, a flap on each end of said front and backwalls, each front flap being ada ted to overlap the corresponding rear ap outside of said end sections, means for fastening said overlapping flaps to the adjacent end section near the center thereof,'an oblique crease in each of said rearv flaps, the front flaps being uncreased, and an oblique crease at each end of said front wall, whereby when said box is folded the front wall will be folded inwa'rdly to form a triangular portion at each end lying between the adjacent end section and the bottom, the remainder of said end sections being in contact with the bottom.

' HENRY F. SCHURMANN. 

